It was a small crowd that gathered at Irondequoit Cemetery on Culver Road this morning for the 88th Memorial Day Observance.
Town dignitaries, members of the Laurelton, Ridge-Culver, Sea Breeze and St. Paul Fire Department Color Guards, the Irondequoit Police Department's color guard, and members of several local Boy Scout troops were in attendance.
Alex Johnson, vice commander of the American Legion Post #134, offered a history of the holiday, which began as Decoration Day at the end of the Civil War.
It was first observed in June of 1868, and in 1882 the name was changed to Memorial Day.
It's been an official holiday since 1971.
"Over the years, it has come to serve as a day to remember all the U-S men and women killed or missing in action in all the wars," Johnson said.
He added "the death of our military men and women leave a heartache no one can heal, but leave this memory in our hearts that no one can steal."
Here's a brief portion of this morning's ceremony in Irondequoit: